Netmarble, Nexon launch flagship titles

A promotional image for Netmarble's mobile game, “Tera M” / Courtesy of Netmarble Games

By Lee Min-hyung

Netmarble Games and Nexon launched their flagship games this week, intensifying this year’s much-anticipated mobile showdown between the two local game giants.

“Tera M” from Netmarble is getting off to a robust start by placing its name in the top spot on Apple App Store’s free game download list as of Tuesday morning. Nexon’s “Overhit” came in second during the same period.

“Tera M” is a mobile version of the mega-hit massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). The original title, developed by Bluehole, hit the shelves in 2011 in Korea. Against the backdrop of its massive success here, the title became available in major overseas markets in North America and Europe in 2012.

“Tera M is the combination of the Tera intellectual property whose users have so far topped 25 million and Netmarble’s global knowhow as the nation’s largest game publisher,” Netmarble public relations specialist Kang Hyuk-mo said.

“Netmarble identified globalization as its catchphrase this year, and Tera M is expected to stand at the center of its vision,” he said.

The initial market response for “Tera M” has been more than explosive, as more than 2 million users pre-ordered the title. Adapting the online “Tera” game to a mobile interface, the game drew keen attention from the nation’s top game tradeshow, G-STAR 2017, earlier this month.

The arrival of “Overhit” from Nexon has also fueled a sense of energy in the stagnant mobile game industry here. “Overhit” is a turn-based multi-hero mobile RPG game. The game boasts top-notch 3D graphics by using the latest Unreal Engine 4 technology. The company also cited story-driven progress and quality background sound as two other marketing points for the game.

“Overhit’s graphics are second to none among the existing mobile games, and its scenario-driven playing style is another key differentiation point,” Nexon’s senior public relations manager Youn Hye-sung said.

“For its global success, we are pushing ahead with localization strategies for each market. For the Japanese market, we offer different content tailor-made for the country.”

Nexon also expressed confidence in the game’s success in Western markets.

North American gamers prefer to play games with eye-catching and high-quality graphics for which “Overhit” has a competitive edge, she said.

Netmarble and Nexon are in a fierce rivalry in Korea. Their third-quarter earnings are neck-and-neck. They are also gaining attention from the nation’s brokerage houses, as both firms are set to top 2 trillion won ($1.84 billion) in their yearly earnings this year.

The two game companies expect the two titles to pose a threat to “Lineage M,” the industry-leading mobile title from NCSOFT. Backed by its success, the nation’s second-largest game firm by market capitalization posted its largest-ever quarterly sales of 727.3 billion won in the third quarter.